Taiwan: Lesbian fights court over baby rights

A lesbian in Taiwan who was told that she could not adopt the children she parents with her partner because it would have a “negative impact” on them will appeal the landmark case. It is the first time that a lesbian has tried to adopt children her partner had through artificial insemination and comes as public support grows for gay rights and same-sex marriage in Taiwan, one of Asia’s more liberal societies.

Under Taiwanese law, the unmarried partner of a birth mother is not allowed to adopt their child — but the couple had applied as a “de facto” married couple, saying that they want to wed but are barred as same-sex marriages are illegal. Read More 

On Zero Discrimination Day, UN urges tolerance for diversity

The United Nations Programme leading the world's HIV/AIDS response - UNAIDS has kicked off the 2015 global edition of Zero Discrimination Day as part of the Organization's wider effort to spur solidarity towards ending discrimination.

"Committing to making our world free of stigma and discrimination is not an option, it's a duty."  said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe.

This year's theme Open Up, Reach Out encourages all members of the international community to unite under the banner of diversity and celebrate each other's difference in an authoritative rejection of discrimination in all its forms. Read More 

Russia Tries to Block Benefits for Families of Gay U.N. Employees

Last June, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued an administrative ruling that offered marital benefits for the first time to all of the United Nations’ LGBT employees who had entered legally recognized domestic partnerships. 

During a UN budgetary meeting, Russian diplomat Sergey Khalizov is opposing those changes: “We will insist that the secretary-general urgently revoke the administrative bulletin” expanding benefits to same-sex couples." Read More

Asia and Pacific LGBTI advocates call for human rights for all

A landmark regional dialogue convened by the United Nations Development Programme this week in Bangkok provided a unique platform for advancing rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. 

Some 200 participants from over 30 countries gathered for the three-day Dialogue on LGBTI Human Rights and Health in Asia-Pacific, including civil society, people living with disabilities, government and human rights experts, the private sector, and development partners.

“Equal rights are not special rights. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights promised a world that is just and inclusive of all, including LGBTI people,” said Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator. Read More

The Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, speaks about his advocacy for the human rights of LGBTI people

 "As Secretary-General i have to lead by example and sometimes actions speak louder than words." The Secretary-General said that his most important mandate is to end all discrimination and human rights abuse.

He went on to say that he wants to make the United Nations the best workplace for LGBTI staff to work freely with no discrimination, regardless of who you love. Watch his comments here

Hong Kong: Number of men in 20s contracting HIV through gay sex leaps

More men in their 20s were infected with HIV through same-sex encounters last year, according to government statistics, in a trend health experts said was alarming.

Dr Wong Ka-hing, consultant in the special preventive programme at the Health Department, said sexual encounters between men accounted for the majority of new HIV infections and Aids cases worldwide. Read More

PEPFAR push for abstinence in Africa is seen as failure against HIV

The $1.3 billion that the United States government has spent since 2005 encouraging Africans to avoid AIDS by practicing abstinence and fidelity did not measurably change sexual behavior and was largely wasted, according to a study presented on the last day of an AIDS conference here.

President George W. Bush’s global AIDS plan was enacted in 2003 and marshaled billions of dollars to treat Africans who had AIDS with lifesaving drugs. Conservative Republican leaders in the House of Representatives successfully included a provision that one-third of AIDS prevention money go to programs to encourage abstinence and fidelity. That campaign — known as ABC, for abstain, be faithful and use condoms — was part of the bargain made when Christian conservatives joined with liberals to pass the law.

After the presentation, a woman identifying herself as a director of PEPFAR's efforts in an unidentified country said the program — which is led by Dr. Deborah Birx — had just cut the $47 million it still spends on abstinence and fidelity to $21 million. Beyond that, she said, she would have to wait until people at headquarters could read the study. Read More

UK: One quarter of homeless youths are LGBTI, says study

The research, carried out by The Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), aimed to explore the experiences of homeless youths – aged 16-25 – who identify as LGBTI living in the UK.  The survey discovered that LGBTI youths, who are more likely to find themselves homeless than their non-LGBTI peers, currently make up 24% of the homeless youth population in the UK. 

An overwhelming 69% of them were forced out of their familial homes after experiencing rejection at the hands of their parents on the grounds of their sexuality. Other driving forces behind their LGBTI youth homelessness include mental, emotional or sexual abuse from a family member (69%), and aggression or physical violence within the familial home (62%). Read More

US: LGBTQ youth driven to ‘survival sex’ by homelessness and discrimination, study shows

LGBTQ youth living on the streets or struggling to find a job often turn to sex to make ends meet, according to a new study by the Urban Institute. LGBTQ youth face unique difficulties that drive them to the streets, including family abuse and a lack of access to health care or counseling, the study showed.

LGBTQ youth are estimated to make up between 20 to 40 percent of the homeless youth population, but only 5 to 7 percent of the total young population in the United States.

“I don’t remember it that vividly, all I know is that I was starving,” said one 21-yr-old male identified as black and gay. “I was hungry, I was cold, so I did it.” Read More

No-one with an undetectable viral load, gay or heterosexual, transmits HIV in first two years of PARTNER study

During a press conference, researchers announced that low viral load prevents transmission between sexual partners in both anal and vaginal sex. 

Statistical analysis shows that the maximum likely chance of transmission via anal sex from someone on successful HIV treatment was 1% a year for any anal sex and 4% for anal sex with ejaculation where the HIV-negative partner was receptive; but the true likelihood is probably much nearer to zero than this.

When asked what the study tells us about the chance of someone with an undetectable viral load  transmitting HIV, presenter Alison Rodger said: "Our best estimate is it's zero." 

Read More
 

Facebook further expands profiles’ “gender” box, lets users type anything

 Facebook's official "Diversity" account announced another sweeping change to the gender selection on users' profiles. Starting today, users of Facebook's English sites can type pretty much whatever they want into a custom box.

"We recognize that some people face challenges sharing their true gender identity with others, and this setting gives people the ability to express themselves in an authentic way," the unnamed Diversity account holder said.

This change follows in the footsteps of Facebook's decision last year to expand its gender options, which were previously limited to male, female, or no response. Just like the last update, users must type their preferred gender descriptor after choosing "other," and Facebook will suggest terms from its prior list like "androgynous" and "gender fluid."  Read More